Pedal systems have been successful for racing bikes and mountain bikes, which pedal systems consist of shoe inserts fastened on the shoes and of pedals fastened on the bicycle. Pedals which each have locking mechanisms and which are designed correspondingly on two opposing sides, for the releasable locking of the detent element of the shoe insert, are common. Such pedal systems are known, for example, from EP-A-1 167 173 and the EP-A-O 826 589. Since these pedal systems have two locking mechanisms and thus make available two locking positions for the shoe insert, they are designed very complex and consist of many, often small components. This makes this pedal system susceptible to repairs and sets limits to the desire to have them have as low a weight as possible. Also with respect to their function these pedal systems are not optimal. The user must beforehand adjust the position of the pedal relative to the shoe insert in order to be able to carry out a locking. The shoe must under all possible circumstances, in particular in the case of a fall of the biker, be able to be quickly and easily released, even when the biker cannot release the pedal by force. Many of the known pedal systems are also in need of improvement in this regard.
Thus the basic purpose of the invention is to design a pedal system of the above-mentioned type in particular in such a manner that, for locking of the detent element of the shoe insert, a beforehand positioning of the pedal is not needed, and that is designed simply and has fewer components than the known systems.
The set purpose is attained inventively by the seat being formed between two seat parts, which are designed rotationally symmetrically with respect to the pedal axis, and which can be moved away from one another against elastic force in the direction of the pedal axis.
An inventively designed pedal system has therefore a pedal with a seat for the detent element, which permits equally over the entire circumference a locking of the detent element. Thus the necessity of having to pay attention regarding the insertion of the shoe at a specific pedal position is no longer needed. Compared with the double locking mechanisms common from the known pedal systems, an inventive pedal system can thus also have significantly fewer components. This is advantageous for the weight and the durability of the pedal.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is that the seat parts form or have receiving grooves facing one another. Thus a particularly operationally safe design can be assured.
It is thereby merely necessary that one of the two seat parts can be moved against elastic force, thus supporting a simple design and reducing the number of components.
A simple, advantageous and very robust design of the pedal provides that one of the seat parts is part of a first sleeve which is supported rotatably with respect to the axis of the pedal, and the other seat part is part of a second sleeve which is supported movably on the first sleeve.
The pedal can be designed especially compact by the first sleeve being arranged non-movably with respect to the axis of the pedal, and the second sleeve being the one which is arranged movably against elastic force.
Also the design and storing of the at least one spring has influence on the durability of operational safety of the pedal system. It is particularly favorable in this connection when at least one spring is a compression spring, which is supported with its one end on an abutment connected to the first sleeve and with its second end on the second sleeve.
The first sleeve is rotatably supported in an advantageous manner by means of ball bearings directly on the axis part of the pedal.
The detent element provided on the base of the shoe is designed according to a preferred embodiment, of the invention as an elongated component, which has a wedge-shaped designed area for positioning between the seat parts.
Cams are sufficient for locking of the detent element, which cams are provided on the side surfaces of the detent element.
Of a particularly comfortable design is the handling of an inventively designed pedal system furthermore by connecting the detent element to a control element, which acts centeringly with respect to the seat of the pedal.
The control element is designed in an advantageous manner such that it has laterally extending supporting wings, the inside of which come into contact or are in contact with outer surface areas of the sleeves when the detent element is locked, which outer surface areas extend cylindrically and rotationally symmetrically with respect to the pedal axis, and which are curved with a radius, which is larger than the radius of the outer surfaces of the sleeves. The difference between the radii assures the already mentioned centering function and has moreover the advantage, that during a rotational movement in order to release the locked detent element, the supporting wings are supported in such a manner on the outer surfaces of the sleeves that they lift the detent element and free same automatically from the locked position.